Artist Gallery
We would like to acknowledge our mental health and well-being journey as we continue to navigate through our new norms by providing a space for our clients and team members to share their artwork and perspective. Together, we can all make a difference to reduce mental health stigma and violence.
*Art pieces are arranged in alphabetical order.
Artists - APCTC SFV Team
Title - Community Heals
Artist - APCTC SFV Adult Art Group
Title - Let's talk feelings
Artist statement -
“Let’s talk feelings” is a collective piece created by the participants in a 6-week art processing group led by Art therapist Elaine Oh, LMFT. During the sessions, we processed our feelings about how we feel we are perceived by the world versus how we feel about ourselves, coping with uncomfortable feelings such as grief, guilt, sadness, and anxiety, and distinguishing between being selfish and being self-compassionate. In our last group session, we focused on the theme of how we can be more self-compassionate. Individually we created a mosaic tile with that theme in mind and added a word of our choosing to embody that. Then, we combined all our pieces together and collaborated on the arrangement to create this final collective art piece.
“Let’s talk feelings” is a collective piece created by the participants in a 6-week art processing group led by Art therapist Elaine Oh, LMFT. During the sessions, we processed our feelings about how we feel we are perceived by the world versus how we feel about ourselves, coping with uncomfortable feelings such as grief, guilt, sadness, and anxiety, and distinguishing between being selfish and being self-compassionate. In our last group session, we focused on the theme of how we can be more self-compassionate. Individually we created a mosaic tile with that theme in mind and added a word of our choosing to embody that. Then, we combined all our pieces together and collaborated on the arrangement to create this final collective art piece.
Singer/Songwriter - Andres Lopez {SanAndres}
Title - You Are Gonna Feel Depressed If You Don't Go Outside
Artist Statement -
Hi my name is Andres and my stage name is SanAndres. I have a disability but I don't let it get in the way of my dreams. My dream is becoming a famous artist I strive and practice every day push through every obstacle since I was the age of six years old. My music helped me through life by getting a message through every problem I had like being isolated in my room and not getting out in the World. My music will help other by jamming and listening to my message and bringing people together through rough times. You can follow San Andres on Soundcloud.
Hi my name is Andres and my stage name is SanAndres. I have a disability but I don't let it get in the way of my dreams. My dream is becoming a famous artist I strive and practice every day push through every obstacle since I was the age of six years old. My music helped me through life by getting a message through every problem I had like being isolated in my room and not getting out in the World. My music will help other by jamming and listening to my message and bringing people together through rough times. You can follow San Andres on Soundcloud.
|
Lyrics:
The studio is a vibe But you gonna feel depressed If you don't go outside So I am gonna to ride my bicycle If I don't spend time with my family My heart is cold as an icicle They've been there since I was riding on a tricycle Everyone wants to be on their phones But I'm gonna break the cycle And it will be so magical So let's go outside and show them how to ball Show them how to throw a football Doesn't matter if you're big or small I might be small But my heart is seven feet tall Life is about balance so I try not to fall The studio's a vibe But you gonna feel depressed if you don't go outside Me sleeping in all day I won't let that slide I get up Keep my head up And I say it with pride Because I don't want to commit suicide Life could be like a roller coaster ride if you lied and lied And the truth is that you hide No longer do I want spoil a precious moment By recoding it with a phone I just want to keep them I don't want to take picture of my meals anymore I just want to eat them Too much television could mess with you mentally Stop avoiding chemistry When someone's feeling down Bring some empathy I'm very able to go out and work I don't need cable and I bring food to the table one day I'll sign a record label My life is far from stable I still follow my dreams Even if I'm disabled Gotta go out in the world Yeah The studio is a vibe But you gonna to feel depressed if you don't go outside I have dreams I bring them into reality I see the whole world smiling On the phones with low battery Will be one bar closer to humility My rhymes are a piece of art put them in a gallery Gotta go out and show out So you could stack that salary Now I've got them all shook Because I don't need Facebook I'm gonna to win a Gram Without Instagram i'm gonna run the block without TikTok i'm not saying don't use it I'm saying spend time with your family and don't refuse it The studio is a vibe But you going to feel depressed If you don't go outside The world will be more kind Can the world stop being so blind? You see they want us divided But I want us reunited If we come together Jesus will be the one feeling so excited If you're not talking about Jesus You're talking about nothing I'm screaming out Jesus With every breath in my lungs Yeah I got bars But trying to set you free Todas las noches razón porque yo no soy Preso este es un por regreso yo si puedo Yo no tengo Pena yo vivo La vida buena represento Mi bandera qué día yo Me muere esta musica corre en mi vana I don't keep it boring like Bingo Look at me now I'm rapping bilingual I went outside and look how much I learn Look how much I earn The studio is a vibe But you gonna feel depressed If you don't go outside |
Artist - Azura M
Media: Sketchbook (Android), VSCO (Android)
Artist Statement -
This is a balloon being hung on a red rope in a darkened pit. The darkness is the on going negativity, it could be from external sources or... it can be from yourself. The rope is forever tainted from the blood of the previous people who has been hung the same way by society for being different. The balloon is just you. Escaping. Running. From the strangle hold of society. You maybe alone there. You may leak a little helium but you are still away from the noose. Even by a little bit. It all counts.
This is a balloon being hung on a red rope in a darkened pit. The darkness is the on going negativity, it could be from external sources or... it can be from yourself. The rope is forever tainted from the blood of the previous people who has been hung the same way by society for being different. The balloon is just you. Escaping. Running. From the strangle hold of society. You maybe alone there. You may leak a little helium but you are still away from the noose. Even by a little bit. It all counts.
Artist - Elaine Oh
Title - Blue Moon Dance
Artist statement -
"The aim of therapy is not to correct the past, but to enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it" ~ Alice Miller
"The aim of therapy is not to correct the past, but to enable the patient to confront his own history, and to grieve over it" ~ Alice Miller
Artist - Erin Lee
Title - Patches
Artist Statement -
Colorful and dark, rough and soft, high and low; I don’t believe I can describe my emotions without portraying the peaks and valleys that are constantly active. I chose to utilize pieces of cotton and burlap, along with a variety of bright and dark paint in order to convey both the positive and negative aspects of my inner self, and how I patch through my struggles.
Colorful and dark, rough and soft, high and low; I don’t believe I can describe my emotions without portraying the peaks and valleys that are constantly active. I chose to utilize pieces of cotton and burlap, along with a variety of bright and dark paint in order to convey both the positive and negative aspects of my inner self, and how I patch through my struggles.
Artist - Evelyn Hernandez
Artist Statement -
Self-care was somewhat of a buzzword that seemed unattainable to me. I felt a lot of guilt doing things for myself. In retrospect, it makes sense to me that I was as depressed and overwhelmed as I was. I was so disconnected from my body and my sense of self. Many times I felt like a ghost, unable to be seen and unable to be there for my family. The way I started reconnecting with myself was through being in nature and painting. At first it was hard to go hiking, because I felt guilt, but as time passed, going on these trails brought me peace. The trails were hard at times, but it was always worth it to see how far I could go. Painting helped me let go of the fear prison that perfectionism put me in. Recharged and feeling enough, I found that I was more present for myself and my loved ones. These trails have taught me that I am worthy of care, I am more resilient than I realized, and I cannot fill other's cups if my own is empty
Self-care was somewhat of a buzzword that seemed unattainable to me. I felt a lot of guilt doing things for myself. In retrospect, it makes sense to me that I was as depressed and overwhelmed as I was. I was so disconnected from my body and my sense of self. Many times I felt like a ghost, unable to be seen and unable to be there for my family. The way I started reconnecting with myself was through being in nature and painting. At first it was hard to go hiking, because I felt guilt, but as time passed, going on these trails brought me peace. The trails were hard at times, but it was always worth it to see how far I could go. Painting helped me let go of the fear prison that perfectionism put me in. Recharged and feeling enough, I found that I was more present for myself and my loved ones. These trails have taught me that I am worthy of care, I am more resilient than I realized, and I cannot fill other's cups if my own is empty
Artist - Happy Face
Artist Statement -
这幅画是关于一场感情为什么呢，是因为这对情侣分手了，然后就会觉得很悲伤什么的啊，毕竟这个年代很多人分手都会哭要么就是觉得EMO了，我个人觉得真的没必要，分手了就算了吧。不是没有了他/她就不能活了对吧，大不了你去在找一个不就好了嘛。所以不要伤心了。
This painting is about a relationship. It is because the couple broke up, and then they will feel very sad or something. After all, many people in this era will cry when they break up or feel emo. I personally think it is really unnecessary. When you break up. It's not that you can't live without him/her, right? Is not that you can’t find someone else. So don't be sad.
这幅画是关于一场感情为什么呢，是因为这对情侣分手了，然后就会觉得很悲伤什么的啊，毕竟这个年代很多人分手都会哭要么就是觉得EMO了，我个人觉得真的没必要，分手了就算了吧。不是没有了他/她就不能活了对吧，大不了你去在找一个不就好了嘛。所以不要伤心了。
This painting is about a relationship. It is because the couple broke up, and then they will feel very sad or something. After all, many people in this era will cry when they break up or feel emo. I personally think it is really unnecessary. When you break up. It's not that you can't live without him/her, right? Is not that you can’t find someone else. So don't be sad.
Artist - Joy Oh
Artist Statement -
"I love listening to music and painting. Although I feel lonely because I don't have friends, I consider stars, clouds, earth, birds, and ocean to be my friends."
"I love listening to music and painting. Although I feel lonely because I don't have friends, I consider stars, clouds, earth, birds, and ocean to be my friends."
Artist - Karen Juarez
Artist Statement -
"I chose to teach this art piece at our painting event because it represents to me peace and self-care."
"I chose to teach this art piece at our painting event because it represents to me peace and self-care."
Artist - Lance G. Mendoza
Title - Wasteland
Artist Statement -
This piece was made during an art processing group that APCTC was holding. I feel it’s a good representation of my current journey. The piece itself was meant to serve as a “mascot,” a representative of ourselves. As I read over the prompt, I kept thinking of roses, how they have thorns and lose their petals. I’d often struggle letting go of things in my life, and constantly try to hold things in place. Plants naturally lose their petals, wilt, age, and pass. With life, we naturally deal with hardship, lose people in our lives, and have to deal with stuff we otherwise wouldn’t want to. A rose was a good way to show that with the petals that have fallen, I’m slowly starting to learn to “let go” and let life play its course. Initially, I had the rose growing out and around a white trash can, to represent how a rose grew out of something you wouldn’t expect, like something coming from “nothing.” I’ve unfortunately been hard on myself over the years, and saw myself in a negative light. I was putting myself in a box. After a few weeks of being kept in storage, the rose came back to me, and the trash can was broken. The rose had still appeared to be growing out of the trash, but freely. Given it was made with Play-Doh, it probably wasn’t reinforced enough to stay as I had originally put it, but at the same time I resonated with its new look. I saw it as me coming out of that box, pulling away from the self deprecation, and being in my power. Since I’ve started attending the group, I’ve had an easier time reflecting on things and seeing things in a new light. My life had appeared to genuinely be improving, as I was putting in the work, growing from the “truths” I believed, without a box, without walls… Being my most authentic self.
This piece was made during an art processing group that APCTC was holding. I feel it’s a good representation of my current journey. The piece itself was meant to serve as a “mascot,” a representative of ourselves. As I read over the prompt, I kept thinking of roses, how they have thorns and lose their petals. I’d often struggle letting go of things in my life, and constantly try to hold things in place. Plants naturally lose their petals, wilt, age, and pass. With life, we naturally deal with hardship, lose people in our lives, and have to deal with stuff we otherwise wouldn’t want to. A rose was a good way to show that with the petals that have fallen, I’m slowly starting to learn to “let go” and let life play its course. Initially, I had the rose growing out and around a white trash can, to represent how a rose grew out of something you wouldn’t expect, like something coming from “nothing.” I’ve unfortunately been hard on myself over the years, and saw myself in a negative light. I was putting myself in a box. After a few weeks of being kept in storage, the rose came back to me, and the trash can was broken. The rose had still appeared to be growing out of the trash, but freely. Given it was made with Play-Doh, it probably wasn’t reinforced enough to stay as I had originally put it, but at the same time I resonated with its new look. I saw it as me coming out of that box, pulling away from the self deprecation, and being in my power. Since I’ve started attending the group, I’ve had an easier time reflecting on things and seeing things in a new light. My life had appeared to genuinely be improving, as I was putting in the work, growing from the “truths” I believed, without a box, without walls… Being my most authentic self.
Artist - Leslie Woo
Title - Pretty Flower
Artist Statement -
"Arts and crafts are some of my ways of coping with stress. The bright colors of this flower makes me feel happy and excited."
"Arts and crafts are some of my ways of coping with stress. The bright colors of this flower makes me feel happy and excited."
Artist - Liz Huh
Title - Peaceful Mind
Artist - Pimpak Pantiyanurat
Title - My Healing Garden
Artist Statement -
Every day, I miss my husband. He past away from gun violence. My grief feels impossible to heal. I never imagined this would happen to my family. Acceptance and healing will continue to take time. I bring my sadness, loneliness, and sorrow to my garden. Here, I nurture my plants as I nurture myself. I feel proud to see my plants grow. My garden is beautiful to my eyes and brings food to heal my body, heart, and mind. (อาหารใจ อาหารตา อาหากาย)
Every day, I miss my husband. He past away from gun violence. My grief feels impossible to heal. I never imagined this would happen to my family. Acceptance and healing will continue to take time. I bring my sadness, loneliness, and sorrow to my garden. Here, I nurture my plants as I nurture myself. I feel proud to see my plants grow. My garden is beautiful to my eyes and brings food to heal my body, heart, and mind. (อาหารใจ อาหารตา อาหากาย)
Artist - Shirley Guerrero
Title - Fragments
Artist Statement -
This self-portrait began as a regular sheet of paper that I cut into several pieces to represent the brokenness I feel as I struggle with anxiety, grief, generational trauma, and self-worth. Although I was dealing with several fragments in the creative process, not one piece was discarded. Each fragment had significance and in the end, I discovered that I am actually not broken. When I look at this collage, I now see my whole self, not the fragments.
This self-portrait began as a regular sheet of paper that I cut into several pieces to represent the brokenness I feel as I struggle with anxiety, grief, generational trauma, and self-worth. Although I was dealing with several fragments in the creative process, not one piece was discarded. Each fragment had significance and in the end, I discovered that I am actually not broken. When I look at this collage, I now see my whole self, not the fragments.
Artist - Tify
Title - Lover
The world will never love you
the way you were meant to be loved.
They will use and abuse you,
and treat you like their inferior.
They will hope the worst for you
and beat you with all types of weapons
till your every part bleeds.
The world will never love you.
Growing up,
I always thought people would be my allies and defenders, family and friends.
I thought I’d have lovers and one day find my soulmate.
And then as the years went by,
I learned lessons
that buried me in a grave with a party of skeletons that were all mine
and that could never say a kind word.
I am so many shades of defeat and rage now,
trauma no one but me can feel and know,
and a desire to punish the many who have tormented and bullied me all my years.
But now I realize that the greatest solace
is to know your abusers’ horrible fate,
the Judgment day they cannot escape,
a key to a treasure chest where justice abounds.
I know that the one way I can cleanse myself of their hate
is to simply love the parts of myself they tried to break and throw away.
I am a beautiful person:
my heart, my soul, my body, my looks, my personality.
I define myself first,
and the qualities people don’t commend me on
make my beauty even more prominent and prodigious.
The world will never love you
as we all love ourselves first and foremost.
When you start to hate yourself,
you are merely dismantling your every atom, your every purpose, mission, triumph,
God’s plan.
You are letting them win,
the world that always tries to conquer you.
You will find your grave among the many who can’t live,
because the lack of love broke them.
You will become one of the broken shards of flesh on the barren soil where they told you to go.
So once you know that the world will never love you,
that we travel alone, live and die alone,
you will be confronted by your essence,
and now is the time to see just
what an infinite giant you are,
a giant that can paint the dark
a gentle, forgiving hue.
Once the love is there, love from others will follow,
even though deep down,
when it’s just you and all of existence,
no one will ever love you
the way you must love yourself.
Your only lover is you.
the way you were meant to be loved.
They will use and abuse you,
and treat you like their inferior.
They will hope the worst for you
and beat you with all types of weapons
till your every part bleeds.
The world will never love you.
Growing up,
I always thought people would be my allies and defenders, family and friends.
I thought I’d have lovers and one day find my soulmate.
And then as the years went by,
I learned lessons
that buried me in a grave with a party of skeletons that were all mine
and that could never say a kind word.
I am so many shades of defeat and rage now,
trauma no one but me can feel and know,
and a desire to punish the many who have tormented and bullied me all my years.
But now I realize that the greatest solace
is to know your abusers’ horrible fate,
the Judgment day they cannot escape,
a key to a treasure chest where justice abounds.
I know that the one way I can cleanse myself of their hate
is to simply love the parts of myself they tried to break and throw away.
I am a beautiful person:
my heart, my soul, my body, my looks, my personality.
I define myself first,
and the qualities people don’t commend me on
make my beauty even more prominent and prodigious.
The world will never love you
as we all love ourselves first and foremost.
When you start to hate yourself,
you are merely dismantling your every atom, your every purpose, mission, triumph,
God’s plan.
You are letting them win,
the world that always tries to conquer you.
You will find your grave among the many who can’t live,
because the lack of love broke them.
You will become one of the broken shards of flesh on the barren soil where they told you to go.
So once you know that the world will never love you,
that we travel alone, live and die alone,
you will be confronted by your essence,
and now is the time to see just
what an infinite giant you are,
a giant that can paint the dark
a gentle, forgiving hue.
Once the love is there, love from others will follow,
even though deep down,
when it’s just you and all of existence,
no one will ever love you
the way you must love yourself.
Your only lover is you.
Artist - Manny Cee
Artist Statement
"You go through the bad stuff, to get to the flower at the top."
"It's like half death, half-life. Like a 'bipolar' disorder"
Artist - Glor Parong
In show of support and recognition for all the clients' hard work, Glor shares the artwork with clients from Wilshire center from 2018 - 2020.
